Wartorn Preview: A punishing take on real-time strategy

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Moments following the brutal assault and destruction of their home by Imperial troops, Yara and Elani open their present, an enchanted hourglass, which transforms their most dreadful day into a loop they must endlessly repeat. Indeed, this is a roguelike game. Wartorn is the first creation from Stray Kite Studios, a fledgling team comprised of industry veterans hailing from games such as Borderlands, BioShock, and Age of Empires. Escape your burning abode and regain your strength to ultimately retaliate against the invading army. However, to achieve this, you’ll first need to endure.

In a nutshell, Wartorn blends real-time strategy and survival elements in a rogue-lite game format. As you navigate your escape route, you’ll encounter both social and combat situations, collect upgrades, recruit new team members, and manage resources. Each journey demands careful consideration to ensure not only your units survive battles but also endure the travel itself. Gather food supplies, maintain morale, and scavenge for valuable resources that carry over to future attempts to increase your chances of success. Keep in mind that Wartorn isn’t an easy game; even during this preview period, it was cautioned that not all players might make it to the first boss. Unfortunately, I was among those who didn’t make it that far.

In contrast to most well-known strategy games, you won’t find base building or expansive maps to conquer in this one. Instead, the map expands progressively, and when battles occur, they take place on smaller battlefields. The objective isn’t to annihilate your adversary’s strongholds, but rather to either defeat all opponents or reach the exit. Essentially, Wartorn isn’t about achieving total victory; it’s about enduring and growing stronger for each subsequent conflict. Despite its grim and brutal nature, Wartorn boasts a stunning visual aesthetic. Its world is reminiscent of an oil painting, characterized by soft edges and vivid colors that are all too often marred with blood.

Harsh Lessons

In our brief playtime of the game Wartorn, we only managed to reach as far as the initial boss due to a warning that it could be challenging to advance within the limited time available. I spent around six hours playing, making numerous attempts, with each one taking me further than the last. Defeat usually came swiftly and unexpectedly, but I consistently grew stronger by collecting resources on my journeys, ensuring I’d come back more powerful.

Each time I revisit the unyielding fortress of my beloved sisters from the game “Wartorn,” Yara and Elani, it feels like a vital base camp. Despite the relentless battering at the gates by the Imperians, there’s always a brief respite that allows me to ready myself for the upcoming expedition. I come back laden with strands to enhance my units, scrolls to unveil new spells for Yara and Elani, and I search for kinfolk on my path who will join me as formidable allies, strengthening our journey together.

In Wartorn, resources essential for survival can be acquired during your travels, yet they remain even when you are defeated. Conversely, resources such as food and hope are indispensable for each expedition; run out of food and your units will perish, lose all hope and the journey ends. The characters themselves are transient; whether they fall at the start or finish of your adventure, they do not resurrect. Failure is a crucial part of Wartorn, it’s inevitable and in many aspects, it’s the key to ultimate victory.

Protect the Caravan

Initially, the game “Wartorn” may be challenging and disheartening due to the frequent losses. However, if you’re like me, someone who hasn’t excelled at real-time strategy games or MOBAs, you eventually grow accustomed to defeat. This change in perspective takes away the stress of winning and allows me to focus on enjoying the gameplay itself. Consequently, I had one of my most enjoyable sessions: the “giants” session. I wasn’t sure if it was luck or not, but my first ally was a giant troll. For my second ally, I could choose a large tree creature, and from that point on, I decided to use as many massive single units as possible. In the end, I managed to get two more trees and another troll. It was a lot of fun, but unfortunately, it didn’t last long.

In this preview, I came across several distinct types of combat-based tasks. The majority of them either allowed me to swiftly advance towards the exit or vanquish all adversaries. Alternatively, there were optional missions. At any moment, I had the choice to retreat and abandon the quest, but this would mean forgoing any rewards. Lastly, and most frequently leading to my failure, was the caravan defense mission. The progression of the game is linked to the caravan, and in most battles, it remains irrelevant, but during these specific tasks, the enemies will focus on attacking it directly. If the caravan is destroyed, not only do you lose that particular mission, but your entire journey also comes to an abrupt halt.

In the concluding phase of my “giant’s” campaign, a troll I controlled obliterated an oncoming horde of adversaries, sending them soaring through the sky. Unfortunately, one of them landed stealthily behind my convoy without me spotting it initially. With multiple other assailants to counteract, I was caught off guard and eventually, my caravan succumbed to defeat. It’s ironic, as the allure of the giants initially drew me in, but ultimately led to my downfall.

Although I was bummed about how that run concluded, I had envisioned a spectacular victory against overwhelming odds instead of an unfortunate slip, I must admit it was enjoyable. The strategy isn’t solely about moving your units during battle; it’s also about choosing which paths and rewards to take in the overworld. Sometimes sacrificing your run for a fiery demise might be the best choice if it means you acquire more valuable resources to bolster your next try. Everything is replaceable, which helps reduce the stress of each encounter. However, while I did appreciate the fun that Wartorn offered, as a novice player, it was simple to feel annoyed too.

A Cold Welcome to New Players

For someone like me, who isn’t frequently into real-time strategy games, the accessibility of a game like Wartorn is crucial to my enjoyment. While I have cherished memories of The Battle for Middle-Earth 2, my past experiences don’t seem to translate well to mastering the controls and strategies in these types of games. From my perspective, Wartorn appears to be a game that might not be easily grasped by me quickly or effortlessly.

In the game “Wartorn”, certain features are implemented to smooth out the transition between attempts. The device that transports characters home after each setback doubles as a time-slowing mechanism. Although this can be beneficial, it creates a sensation of observing my strategy crumble at a snail’s pace instead.

Additionally, as a rogue-like or rogue-lite game, “Wartorn” encourages players to amass knowledge and resources. Most unit enhancements are straightforward: a 5% damage increase, slightly higher health for units, and so on. These upgrades aren’t particularly thrilling to obtain, suggesting that the key to victory lies in becoming stronger and more resilient. This diminishes the apparent strategic aspect of gameplay.

I recognize that what I’m playing is merely a sneak peek, specifically for an Early Access game like Wartorn. It’s not giving me the full picture, and there are probably aspects of this preview that I haven’t experienced yet. Wartorn is a complex and visually stunning game that’s attempting something innovative. I can tolerate some irritating instances; I just have to trust that these will lessen as I delve deeper into the gameplay.

Final Thoughts

Following a quick chat with the creators, I seized the opportunity to inquire about an intriguing aspect of the game, WarTorn, specifically its captivating visual style. The game’s main characters are Yara, a writer, and Elani, a painter. Their experiences are chronicled through journal entries, and as the player traverses the map, it is gradually painted over. This artistic approach was inspired by romanticism, with the team dedicating a full year to achieve an authentic historical oil painting aesthetic, characterized by softened edges and blurs. This design choice makes WarTorn stand out and promises to attract players, no unintentional pun intended.

War-torn showcases a multitude of impressive features, such as its distinctive art style and demanding combat system. Another aspect that adds an element of unpredictability to every playthrough is the randomly generated attributes of units. Specifically, there are certain units with unique personality traits – one such example being the “obsessive” units. These units require a longer period for their skills to recharge, as if they’re meticulously checking and adjusting everything, making each unit seem distinct and memorable during that playthrough. If they don’t meet an immediate demise, this trait can contribute to a sense of individuality for that particular attempt.

Stray Kite Studios is diving headfirst into a distinctive game category with their debut title, and I’m eagerly anticipating not only what they will accomplish in this genre but also how the gaming community reacts to it. There’s a possibility that Wartorn attracts a following beyond hardcore strategy gamers, and if that occurs, I might as well wave goodbye to this genre. However, for now, it seems challenging for newcomers to find Wartorn inviting during this preview.

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2025-04-24 20:33